into News & Prophecy
The Kingdom of God: A New World Government
When Jesus Christ returns, He will establish His Kingdom—or government—on the earth. What will His government be like, and how will it change the world?
Many nations have corrupt leaders who use their country’s resources simply to enrich themselves while their citizens live in abject poverty.
View this map from Transparency International to see how the majority of nations today are ranked “corrupt” to “highly corrupt”: Corruption Perceptions Index 2016. Over two-thirds of the 177 nations examined score below the midpoint on their scale. According to their website, “More countries declined than improved in this year’s results, showing the urgent need for committed action to thwart corruption.”
Why man’s governments will never work
Nearly 6,000 years ago, Satan the devil (appearing as a serpent) convinced Adam and Eve to reject God’s rule over their lives (Genesis 3:1-6). That decision set humanity on a course of self-government—apart from God’s guidance and laws. Human history continues to prove that man’s attempts at self-governance do not work.
Man’s governments will never work because our human nature is heavily influenced by Satan’s self-serving attitude. This is why wars have ravaged the history of mankind (James 4:1-3; Isaiah 59:8).
Jesus Christ establishes God’s government on earth
This inability to rule ourselves will ultimately lead mankind to the point of nearly destroying all human life (Matthew 24:7). The good news is that before we destroy ourselves, Jesus Christ will intervene!
One of the first things the returning Christ will do is replace all current human governments and begin administering the government of God as King over all the earth
He will return to earth!
One of the first things the returning Christ will do is replace all current human governments and begin administering the government of God as King over all the earth (Revelation 11:15; 19:11-16; Zechariah 14:9).
Many commentators have noted that world government is mankind’s only real hope for world peace. The problem, though, is that any human world government would be ineffective because it would be governed by the same principle that causes national governments to fail—flawed human leadership.
But this government will be different. Jesus Christ—the Prince of Peace—will bring lasting peace and prosperity to the earth (Isaiah 9:6-7). He will establish His world headquarters at Jerusalem, and the peaceful effects of His government will begin spreading throughout the entire earth (Micah 4:1-4).
The structure of God’s government
As King of Kings, Jesus Christ will have thousands of others working with Him administering the government of God. But unlike many in today’s governments, those assisting Christ won’t be elected to their positions or be bureaucrats holding government jobs for self-gain.
Christ will be assisted by the resurrected saints—His family—those who have repented of their sins and faithfully followed God and His commandments for the rest of their physical lifetimes (Revelation 1:5-6; 20:1-6). These glorified spirit beings will serve as “kings and priests” throughout the earth (Revelation 5:10).
The Bible gives us other details about the administration of the Kingdom of God on earth. Some of the details include:
- The resurrected King David will rule over all 12 tribes of Israel (Jeremiah 30:9; Ezekiel 37:24).
- The resurrected apostles will rule over the individual tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:27-28).
The result of God’s government on earth
In today’s world, millions of people live in fear—fear of violence, war, starvation, disease, etc. But under the Kingdom of God, there will be total safety—even children will play safely in city streets without any fear of violence or abduction (Zechariah 8:4-5).
This is the first in a four part series on The Kingdom of God. To continue this series, read part 2, "The Kingdom of God: Who Will Be in It?"
Topics Covered: Prophecy, Kingdom of God
